Remote whiteboard computer systems are already established. Such interactive systems allow participants in mutually disparate geographical locations to participate in a collaborative activity in real time. Generally each participant has access to a computer means that is networked with the computers of the other participants. A display device accessible to each participant acts as a ‘virtual whiteboard’, allowing the participants to submit and receive drawings and alternative graphical or other information. Each participant may have a copy of a common drawing on his or her virtual whiteboard, and can edit or otherwise amend that drawing, such ‘markups’ being immediately transmitted to the other participants to maintain in a consistent state the common drawing.
Additionally, conventional whiteboards are also commonly used in educational environments, to facilitate the transfer of information from teacher to student, and in group discussions such as business meetings, where ideas need to be communicated between participants. The whiteboard provides a convenient surface on which concepts can be graphically expressed, by way of notes, drawings, charts, etc. Such notations can be made in selected colors and can be readily erased from the smooth, wipeable surface.
Electronic whiteboards which have been developed allow representations of notations made upon a specially designed whiteboard to be transmitted to a computer for storage, display, transmission, printing, etc. During a meeting session, graphical user input entered on the electronic whiteboard is digitized and stored in a file, and dedicated whiteboard application software enables retrieval and manipulation. At any time, stored session files may be retrieved to view or print the information, or to copy it to other applications if required. To this end, the whiteboard surface generally includes a writing/drawing region, and a control region providing means for inputting control commands via the whiteboard.